Horsetail Plumbing
This picture shows a cut through the stem of a horsetail.
The arrangement of the canals running up the stems is
used to identify various species. Early Americans used the
so-called "scouring rush" to clean cooking pots, because
the plant has deposits of abrasive silica (silicon
dioxide, or SiO2) in its cell walls.
Silica makes the plant stems rigid and so supports a taller
growth.
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